I'm wiped out!

I must really rely on my naps -- a couple days in a row without one (wait, did I get one yesterday? I don't remember) and I'm pooped.

Speaking of poop (ha!) I emailed a local "pet adoption" shelter and they basically said there's little to no chance of adopting out pets with litter box issues. They sent me a document on litter box problems but, really, we've heard and tried just about everything on it. Maybe everything. Some of it several times, hoping if we really really tried it would help. So we're back to square one. The cats really very seldom do their evil doody upstairs where we live. So it's just an issue of constant vigilance in the basement. Which wouldn't be so bad if it helped, but it doesn't. So. Bleah. I hate the whole subject. I don't want to be mean and cruel. And I am pooped from every day life, I don't want the added ... poop!

So back to every-day pooped. Today two of my kids went to their first Kung Fu class -- sing with me, Everybody was Kung Fu fighting .... I've been singing it all day. It's a class for homeschoolers, taught by a former homeschooling mom who is, herself, a follower of Christ, but the class isn't "Christian Kung Fu" ... but neither is it Buddhist, it's just the moves and some history. Anyway, we're trying it out for a session. And I got to catch up with my friend-and-midwife while there, so that was great.

AND I figured out what was wrong with my football knitting. But I'm embarrassed to say. Want to know anyway?

The problem was that I'm an idiot! Gosh! I read the instructions but they confused me. My little brain said, "That surely can't mean what it says, that wouldn't work" so I did what I thought it meant, instead of what it said. The pattern has one "yarn over" which makes a cute little eyelet ... you make it on each row, and because you knit back and forth, every row has ONE eyelet and it flip-flops which side it's on because you knit back-and-forth.

But looking at the picture I saw there were little holes on each side, so I decided surely they must mean to make a YO on each side, and so I did. So while theirs was increasing one stitch per row (4, 5, 6, 7 ...) mine was increasing two stitches per row (4, 6, 8, 10 ...) AND because of THAT, I also reached 44 stitches twice as fast, so mine wasn't as many rows tall, AND it grew wide too fast.

So. I'm trying the same pattern again, correctly. Actually following the pattern. And it's looking much better. I'm about 6 rows into it, maybe more.

So smart, eh?

What else? Oh, yeah, then I came home and made dinner for our family and for my friend who is on bedrest. I got a little behind and wasn't able to make us cheesecakes, but the enchiladas turned out super good, if I do say so myself, and the cornbread (not a pone this time!) was yumminy, and Iliacat made a tasty fruit salad.

Dinner was late because I got my friends' done on time but didn't roll all my enchiladas and mix together my cornbread in time to put them in while I was away, so I had to do that quick when I returned from dropping off her dinner, and so then our dinner was late. And when we were all done the kitchen was a DISASTER. So I got it 75% clean. I got all the dishes washed and many of the surfaces wiped and some of it tidied up. I might've kept going except I needed to get all the children in bed.

I don't know if I told you we moved Buzz's bed to LittleD's room and we've been working on Buzz going to sleep on his own. Nursing him until he's full and tucking him into his little bed still awake. I know half of you are appalled that we waited so long - until 18 months - to do it, and the other half are appalled that I'd do that so soon. The fact is that I can't do it sooner because of our past baby feeding gaining sleeping history, and can't put it off because, well, I really think we'll ALL sleep better once he doesn't need to nurse at every slightest waking. He hasn't been sleeping all that well lately, even in our bed, and sideways kicking us we're not sleeping well, either.

So he's crying a little at bedtimes and after feedings when he half wakes. He doesn't cry long, really, and I'm thankful. But it's still very hard on this mom. I really think that's added a lot to my feeling wiped out, being up with him, sitting in the rocking chair to nurse at night, and then laying awake an extra 10-15 minutes after putting him down, listening to him cry, listening to him stop crying, wondering if he'll cry some more, and just feeling bad. But really, MOST of the time, he's going to sleep within 5-10 minutes of putting him down. Who am I trying to make feel better? You? or me?

ANYway I've got some laundry to move to the dryer and then I think I'll hit the hay. (Actually, the dryer had stopped but the clothes were still damp, so no closure there) It hasn't been a productive week, I'm just now coming closer to finding my stride and it's Thursday.

But at least I've kept up with the blogging. First things first, you know. :-D